How to create a flower using the rotate tool

With your shape drawn, use the direct selection tool (shortcut ‘A’) and pull the handles from each anchor point until you’re happy with the shape.

2. Rotate the petalWith your shape selected, click on the rotate tool (or use keyboard shortcut ‘R’). Hold down alt and click the point of rotation on your petal shape – where the middle of your flower will be.

This should bring up the rotate box where you would normally enter the angle of rotation desired. However, you can specify how many times you’d like this shape to be repeated over 360 degrees instead.

To do this, enter “360/x”, with ‘x’ as the number of petals you’d like your flower to have – I’ve gone for 16 in this tutorial.

Make sure to click ‘copy’ here and not OK.

This will make a copy of your petal.

If you’d like, you can choose to change the colour of your new shape.

To continue with your flower, simply duplicate your petal by using ctrl+d on your keyboard.

Continue until your flower is complete…

Try setting a transparency on your shape for an added effect.

Why not experiment with different petal shapes, numbers of rotations and colours?